1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispenser for producing ice chips from ice-making water, in particular, a dispenser comprising a drain pan for receiving at least one of the ice chips and a beverage.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, as such conventionally-used dispensers, an ice chip dispenser and a beverage dispenser are provided. The ice chip dispenser delivers ice chips in response to an operation performed by a user. The beverage dispenser delivers not only ice chips but also water and beverages such as juice and soup in response to an operation performed by a user. In many cases, such dispensers are installed in family restaurants and the like so as to be freely operated by users as a so-called “drink bar area” and to allow the users to freely pour beverages that they want by themselves. Meanwhile, leftover juice and the like of the users are disposed of into a drain pan of the dispenser in many cases. Thus, in order to prevent the juice and the like disposed into the drain pan from drying and adhering thereto, it is necessary to wash the drain pan.
For example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Sho 63-63887 discloses an apparatus comprising an ice-making water tank for storing ice-making water from which ice chips are produced, and in which the ice-making water therein is supplied into a drain pan so as to wash same. In this apparatus, a sheet-type ice-making machine for freezing the ice-making water and the ice-making water tank are connected to each other through the intermediation of a water supply pipe, and the water supply pipe and the drain pan are connected to each other through the intermediation of a drain pipe. The sheet-type ice-making machine includes an ice-making plate for freezing the ice-making water supplied from the ice-making water tank so that the ice-making water is frozen on a front side of the ice-making plate. When the ice-making water is frozen, a deicing cycle is started in which the ice-making water is sprayed onto a back side thereof so as to remove ice on the front side, and the ice thus removed is delivered as ice chips. Further, when the deicing cycle is started, an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing the drain pipe is opened, and the drain pan is washed with the ice-making water supplied through the intermediation of the drain pipe.
However, in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Sho 63-63887, the wash water is supplied to the drain pan only when the deicing cycle is started, which means that the timing of washing the drain pan becomes irregular. Specifically, depending on the installation environment of the dispenser, the deicing cycle may not be performed all day long. Thus, there has been a problem in that it is impossible to reliably prevent the juice and the like from adhering to the drain pan. Further, it is necessary to provide a drain pipe for washing the drain pan, and necessary to control the electromagnetic valve for opening and closing the drain pipe, which leads to a problem of the apparatus configuration and apparatus control become more complicated.